In 1965 Harry met Mary in Essequibo, in Guyana. Their marriage was arranged and after their wedding Harry and Mary went to live in Venezuela. Harry looked vainly for his fellow Guyanese in Venezuela but could find no more than ten. The years passed and as political and economic problems worsened in Guyana the pull of Venezuela became strong. Harry’s mother visited Caracas in 1974 and returned with wonderful stories.

‘You can find everything in Venezuela. The shelves are stocked. The country is clean and the people are friendly,’ she said and she even spoke a few words of Spanish. This was enough to start a trickle of visitors from Essequibo into Venezuela. By 1978 Guyanese were to be found in their thousands in Caracas, El Tigre, and San Felix.